Odds are increasing that a hybrid “snor’eastercane” could make landfall near Greater New York early next week, with wide-ranging impacts affecting nearly the entire East Coast.

In the meantime, clouds and light showers will linger over the tri-state for Wednesday, with warmer than seasonable temperatures continuing for at least the next few days.

Current worst case scenarios going into the weekend have a strengthening Tropical Storm Sandy emerging from the Caribbean and merging — or “phasing”, in weather terminology — with an intensely potent Arctic cold front coming down from the Great Lakes. The combined storm would then veer back northwestward toward Greater New York, pushed against the atmospheric grain by anomalously strong “blocking” high pressure centered over far eastern Canada.